A dynamic and effective method of promoting all-around kindergarten readiness is to incorporate outdoor learning activities into a child’s routine. The natural environment is a non-walled classroom with unmatched opportunities to train observation, critical thinking and motor skills during direct experience. Although these activities are differentiated by setting, they develop most of the same core competencies that are the focus of formal readiness programs. It is an addition to the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready philosophy, which believes in holistic development through engaging in meaningful outdoor exploration. To families, these activities will offer an effective application of the skills one has gained in Kinder Ready Tutoring, and this, combined with one another, will produce a well-rounded preparation in a manner consistent with Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley.
Outdoor programs are inherently associated with the development of focused attention and executive ability needed in classroom studies. An easy activity, such as finding particular shapes in nature or listening to the various calls of the birds, involves active listening and sustained concentration. This habit of training concentration and screening distractions is helpful directly in the process of concentration required during Kinder Ready Tutoring and subsequent schooling. Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready approach acknowledges that the skill to get focused is a portable skill, whether it will be used in a structured activity in the house or a discovery mission in the backyard.
Moreover, the outdoors is a perfect environment to increase vocabulary and cognitive constructs using a sensory-rich context. Tasks that involve sorting, e. g., leaves by size or color, counting, e. g., groups of rocks, describing, e. g. texture of tree bark, exercise basic math and language skills in a context that is easy to remember. This practical learning supports the cognitive growth that Kinder Ready progresses systematically. Parents can informally encourage intellectual development espoused by Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley by making abstract concepts more tangible by attracting the interest of a curious child to the natural surrounding world.
Outdoors, physical coordination and motor planning are also greatly improved. Gross and fine motor control, balance, and spatial awareness are developed through navigating uneven terrain, climbing on safe structures, and building small structures using sticks and rocks. These physical capabilities aid the general skill of a child to control his body within a classroom, including sitting on a desk, up to the use of scissors.
Lastly, social-emotional skills of cooperation, resilience, and the ability to think on one’s feet are inherent outcomes of outdoor play. Cooperation to construct a fort or turn-taking in a swing will give real-life experience in cooperation and patience. Little physical challenges develop resilience and initiative to solve problems. These emotional management and peer play teachings are fundamental to social preparedness, which is a pillar of the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley approach that is actively practiced in the small-group dynamics of Kinder Ready Tutoring.
Well-considered outdoor learning activities will not be a breakaway from academic preparation but an important part of the educational preparation. They develop the same basic skills, namely, attention, cognitive skills, physical dexterity, and social intelligence, but with the help of a different, much more interesting medium. Having both the freedom of exploration of outdoor learning and the targeted, expert-directed learning of Kinder Ready Tutoring allows families to have the complete freedom of the integrated, whole-child vision of Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready. This golden mean will give a child an intellectual, physical and emotional advantage in growing.
For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady
